Total Pageviews

Monday, June 23, 2008

West Coast Journey...part final: Salting Cows and Sweet Retaliation

In my previous post I promised a word or two about my niece's boyfriend. Really it has nothing to do with the journey much, just a passing thing, however I cannot resist the urge to illustrate the fact that it's a very bad idea to offend a blogger, however insignificant the blog. The word, especially written, is much mightier than the sword.

Anyway, back to the boyfriend. I will call him K for Kook. (hahaha) He is really a very nice guy, they have only been going out a few months and her parents (my brother and sis in law) really like him. He comes into the house, makes himself to home, talks with them, plays games with them and otherwise makes himself a part of the family. He's 19, has his own car, holds down a good, steady job and, last but certainly not least, treats my niece with respect. They get along great. She likes visiting his family as well, by the way.

That said.

There was one point when K came in the front door while I was in the kitchen, and I heard him ask; "Are those weird people still here?" Uh-huh. Then of course, knowing that we were, he came into the kitchen and said the lame, bonehead's usual excuse; "Just kidding." Yeah, right. "Just kidding" has got to be the most overused, insincere and trite phrase ever invented for backpedaling once you have stated what you really do think and believe, but are too much of a wuss to own up to. If you are thinking something rude about someone and have the kahunas to open up your mouth and say it out loud in that person's hearing, at least have the grace to own up to it and let the other person have a go at saying what his opinion is of you. Don't weenie out of it by trotting out, "Just kidding."

Now you understand what I was saying about sweet retaliation, but are probably wondering where salting cows comes in. Go back up and read paragraph number 2 again. I was telling this to hubby and saying something along the lines of how my sister in law told me these things when I was speaking to her of the situation. "Ah-ha!" My husband says; "He's salting the cow to get the calf." Yet another country saying. When you have your cows out on the range and want to get their calves you put salt out by (or maybe in) the corrals to get them to come in off the range. We would perhaps say of K: "He's buttering up the mother to get the daughter." No, hubby says he's salting the cow to get the calf. I just laughed and laughed. I hope my sister-in-law isn't insulted by that saying, but I guess it goes along the lines of when Moe (from Five Ballerinas Named Moe) said she liked the saying "getting the wrong sow by the ear" even though it could be insulting if used in an office full of women who have different phone lines they answer.

What a hoot.

I will get back to blogging about dairy matters in coming days, as I am given a chance to get on the computer. The storms and lightning have been hitting when I want to get on the computer. It's most annoying.

3 comments:

Weren't you curious what you did to make you "the weird people"? (Wait: was Ellen the other "the weird people"?) Were you wearing your giant grasshopper costume? Singing that song you made up about Fidel Castro and the transfer of power to his brother?? WHAT???

Well, Moe, now that you mention it; yes, I am kind of curious about why we (my mother and I) were classified as "weird." Maybe it was the cow costume and the song I sang about Uncle George W and my elusive economic stimulus check.